Mode of cutting boot-vamps



E. L. VERTR'BES.

CUTTING BOOTS.

N0- 27173. Patented Peb. 14, 1860.

Fiyi.

E. L. VERTREES, OF HOWEVALLEY, KENTUCKY.

MODE OF CUTTING BOOT-VAMPS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 27,173, dated February 14, 1860.

To all whom fit may concern.'

Be it known that I, E. L. VERTREES, of Howevalley, in the county ofHardin and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Cutting the V amps or Uppers of Boots, whereby in cutting the majorportion in one piece without crimping a more beautiful and useful formis produced with less labor and material in its construction; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1, is a view of the form in which I prefer to cut the boot. Fig.2, is a view of the boot when folded up, and Fig. 3, is the same whenthe seams are closed, the red. lines indicating the position beforesewing.

The major portion of my boot is in one piece. It is so cut and foldedthat only a small nearly square piece is required in the front of oneside of the leg,`to complete the entire upper, being in this respectvery similar to the method of cutting patented by L. Duvalle, on thesixth of September, 1859. The novel feature in my boot is in the sidesnear the bottom and in the form given thereby to the heel and ankle.

The natural `outline of the rear of the human leg and foot is notstraight but is considerably hollowed at the ankle. This form must beimitated in a boot in order to obtain either beauty or utility, for werethe back and heel of the boot made in a straight line, it would not onlylack in gracefulness of form, but would be constantly slipping up anddown at the heel while walking. The heel is extended in Duvalles boot bythe insertion of a triangular piece or gore, at one side, which is widerat the base than is the triangular opening made in the leather toreceive it. The effect of this is to allow the heel to project beyondthe line of the leg and ankle, that line being straight. Y

The nature of my invention consists in cutting out from the side of thefoot and ankle, in lieu of the triangular .opening above referred to, anopening pointed at each extremity, commencing with a point near thelower edge and extending upward to a point in or near the ankle, and indrawing together the sides of this `opening so as to contract the leg atthe ankle and by the use of a single seam, to produce a form of bootidentical with that in general use. A corresponding form should be givento the edges of the leather wihch are joined to produce the oposite sideof the boot.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improved boot Iwill proceed to describe its construction by the aid of the drawings.

I cut a plece'of leather in the form A, B, C, N, D, E, F, shown in Fig.l. At E, G, H, I cut through the leather in the form shown. I then cutout a hole having the form and position shown by M, X, N, Yl the line M,X, N, corresponding in shape with the lower portion of the line B, C,and the lower portion of M, Y, N, corresponding with the curved line F,G. The upper extremity of this opening is a little higher than H. I foldalong the line H, I, the part- I, E, F, G, H, folding under the part I,D, N, Y, H. Next, I fold the part L, A, F, G, along the line L, G, andthe part J, B, C, K, along the line J', K, for1n mg an approximation tothe form and appearance of a complete boot vamp, but with a considerablespace intervening between the edge Gr F and the edge H P as shown indotted lines in Fig. 2. I then cut a corresponding piece of leather f,g, t, 79, which I insert therein, and sew it firmly to its place. I thenclose the seam M, N, and the seam B, C, which, from their shape,contract the back at the point O, Fig. 3, giving the proper form to theboot. It is obvious that the length of my opening M, N, may be increasedor diminished at pleasure as also may its breadth at the middle or anyother point in its length, and that a corresponding change will therebybe produced in the form of the boot, so that I have complete control ofthe form, and may fit very accurately any one whose ankle or leg may beeither of the usual form or in any wise peculiar.

My invention involves the production of but a single seam along the lineM, N, whereas the attempts previously made to produce a similar effecthave involved the production of two sealns with a corresponding increaseof labor. My invention also makes both sides of the boot alike at thebottom or where it is most in sight and most in use, and is equallyapplicable to the finest and to the coarsest of Work.

The applying of a goring piece to the base of fine boots, as in Duvallespatent abovev referred to, involves a disadvantage on account of thefact that the seams in fastening a gore in such work Inust, as is wellknown to workers in fine leather, be overlapped instead of closed. Thismode of searning is so objectionable at the base of a boot that it isalmost or quite impracticable, in the best class of work.

The graceful contour of the outline of the leg and heel and the singleseam produced by my invention render the boots far'superior in beauty toany heretofore produced from one piece of leather. The smaller quantityof stitching required economizes labor and diminishes the liability torip. The closing, in lieu of overlapping, and the uniformity in the twosides are also advantages over Mr. Duvalles; By extending the opening,M, upthe side as far as the crimp the boot is prevented from becomingtoo wide at that point in consequence of any stretching in pulling theboot'off and on.

In an ordinary crimped boot the crimping of the leather destroys itsextensibility so far that it is not thereafter liable to `stretch andbecome too wide at that point.

Boots made of leather without crimping, as heretofore constructed, havebeen open to objection from the leather not being so stretched. Theclosing of the seam M, N, in my improvedboot so draws in the instep thatthe stretching of the leather will not cause the boot to become too wideat that point The closing also raises the toe or pitches forward the legof the boot s o as to give a bettervform to the whole. This effect isroughly indicated by the dark or shaded part in Fig. 3, the red linesindicating the contour before the closing of the edges M, X, N, and M,Y, N, and the dark lines and shading showing the contour after suchclosing.

Having now fully described my improved mode of cutting boot Vamps, whatI claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In combination with cutting a boot vamp without crimping, removing thepointed portion of the material M, X, N, Y, in the side of the ankle,and joining the edges so as to contract the back at O, and incline theleg forward, substantially as and so as to obtain the advantages hereinset forth.

E. L. VERTREES.

lVitnesses:

E. J. VERTREES, JOHN H. HILL.

